Hikaru no Go: Sai's Story
by shirayuki-days
Summary: Story starts right after Sai leaves. Sai decides he still wants to stay with Hikaru, and possesses a new body. But he is shocked when he finds out... Sai's POV
1. Of Docktors and Norses

Chapter 1

Hikaru had just fallen asleep in the middle of our go game, and I was leaving. Too bad I never got to say farewell.

My spirit was carried out the open window on the afternoon breeze.

"I wish you well, Hikaru. I now understand my purpose in returning from the dead," I whispered, drifting along in the wind as I was carried up into the sky. I had no more worries now. Hikaru would be fine, although I would never be able to see him again.

Wait, WHAT???

"HIKARUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I MISSS YOUUUUUU!!!!!" I shouted tearfully. "DON'T MAKE ME LEAVE YET!!!! YOU STILL NEED MEEEEEE!!!"

Suddenly, a strong tug started to drag me along, to my final resting place. "I don't want to go yet! Leave me alone!" I shouted while trying to claw my way free. But I still ended up getting sucked into the darkness.

…..."my voice, can you hear it?"

So this is what true death is like, I thought dreamily. It really does feel like you're asleep.....

"Miss, can you hear me? Nurse, are you sure she is waking up?"

"Sir, her monitor shows some significant brain activity."

"Can you hear my voice?"

"Tell me doctor, will my daughter wake up?"

That poor mother, her daughter is probably floating along to death, like I am.

Suddenly I felt tickling my feet. HEY!

I sat bolt upright, only to see myself in bed and a distraught woman, a male and female dressed in white gathered around me in a stark white room.

"You always did have ticklish feet," a boy whom I seemed to have overlooked chuckled and said.

"Who are you all? Is this heaven or hell? Where's Hikaru?" I asked in a single breath.

Comments flooded in, none of which answered my questions.

"She seems to suffer from amnesia. It occasionally occurs in coma victims."

"Dear! What are you talking about? You're very much alive."

"Hikaru? Who's that? Don't tell me you've been cheating on me!"

"What are you all talking about? Cheating? The only time I've cheated was when I was helping Hikaru! What's this ameesha thing? What coma? I've been dead for several thousand years! And why are you calling me a SHE? I may have long hair, but I'm CLEARLY male!"

I was met with blank stares.

"Will someone get her a mirror?" The white-clad man finally spoke.

The female in white brought over a mirror to me, which I took suspiciously.

I looked in the mirror, and staring back at me with a surprised look was a young girl of about fifteen, with large brown eyes and long black hair that fell around her like a curtain, making her look even smaller than she was.

"This isn't me." I blinked, disoriented.

The boy smirked. "Boy are you confused, Miyabi."

"Who are you? Why are you calling me Miyabi? I'm Fujiwarano Sai, from the Heian Era," I replied, frowning.

"Miss," the the lady in white said gently, "You have lost your memories. You are Akiyama Miyabi, daughter of this woman here, Akiyama Kanako."

"I'm insulted. You don't even remember your childhood friend Kenta!" the boy said, hurt.

"Who are you two in white anyways? You look like messengers of death," I asked.

"Dear, that's really rude of you. If it weren't for these two, you would be.... gone already" The woman, apparently my mother, reprimanded.

The man (a dock-tor?) smiled slightly. "In a sense, you're correct, but I prefer to be called a doctor. And the lady over there is a nurse. She assists me in healing people."

"Oh, why didn't you just tell me you were a healer? That would have made things so much easier."

The dock-tor(?) and norse(?) looked at each other. "This is going to take a while, isn't it?" sighed the norse.


	2. School?

Author's Notes:

Sorry! I realized that Sai is completely ooc. _____ But I was trying to keep it as light-hearted as possible, and kinda got carried away... Please forgive me P(w );;

Nevertheless, please read and review! Those who do get a virtual cookie. :D

I will work hard in the future to keep Sai as in character as possible. Thank you all! 3

Chapter 2

"Miyabi! Wake up! You'll be late for school!"

I got up from bed, rubbing my bleary eyes. For a second, I was lost, as I looked at my surroundings. I was in a room with pink (PINK?) wallpaper and various posters of those boy bands like the ones that girls in Hikaru's class liked. Oh yeah. I was Miyabi now. I sat for a while as I recalled yesterday's conversation. I presumably got sucked into Hibino Miyabi, (a coma victim)'s body when I realized I didn't want to leave Earth yet. I was now a sixteen year old girl.

"Miyabi! Did you hear me?"

Oh dear. That was mom. I got up from Miyabi's soft, squishy mattress, and walked towards her mirror. Yup. I was still a girl. With hair that almost touched my feet. Apparently they neglected to cut Miyabi's hair while she was in a coma. I didn't mind; I could wear it in my usual style. I tied it together with a ribbon, and got dressed in the clothes that were laid out for me. I walked downstairs, and greeted Miyabi's (my) mother. "Good morning, mother."

"Since when have you called me mother? That's so formal. The usual mommy is fine, you know. And what happened to your hair? It looks like something from the Edo Era!"

"Um, good morning.... mommy. Actually, my hairstyle is from the Heian Era. It was the fashion then, you know."

"Well, I'm certain it's not the fashion now. Are you sure you want it like that on your first day of school?"

"Yes, It will be fine," I replied politely.

After a delicious breakfast (although it was strange being able to eat again), I opened the door and crashed into a wall. A soft, fabric covered, wall. I looked up to see Kenta's grinning mug. "Being rather forward today aren't we? I guess that means you'll agree to finally go out with me."

At that, I turned red and pushed him out of the way, shouting "I'll never go out with a crude person like you!" Besides, I was also male anyways. At least on the inside.

"Wait, Miyabi!" Kenta ran after me shouting.

"Why should I wait for you, when I need to go to school?" I retorted, still irritated at him.

"Because you're going the wrong way, Miyabi. Our school is that way."

Oh.


	3. Wait, WHAT?

Author's Notes: It's Megumi! :) Finally continuing my HikaGo fic. The story's taking a slight plot change from original plans... I hadn't planned to involve the go club at first. Too many characters. D: This fic unexpectedly required a lot of research. I had to go back and check all the eras to make sure it was right, look up the four military families, and look into the plot of HikaGo just incase to keep it mostly canon. :P anyways.....

DUNDUNDUNNNNN plot twist coming up. ;) R&R pl0x 3

"And can anyone tell me the names of the four most powerful clans during the Heian period?"

Simple. I was related to one of them.

"Sensei, the answer is the Minamoto, Tachibana, Taira, and Fujiwara clans."

The Taira's never liked us much. They were always trying to kill one of our family or another. The Minamoto's were nice though. Horrible go players, however. And the Taira's...

Everyone in class was staring at me.

"Well, Akiyama-san. I'm surprised. You missed three months of school, yet still know such a hard question." The teacher was, (what's the word?) gobsmacked. What? Even little toddlers knew those names in my time.

"Miyabi finally grew some brains when she was sleeping, I guess," one of my classmates said as the class laughed. Irritated, I retorted, "I am very clever, thank you. In fact, I am a famous and well-respected go player."

The class erupted in laughter. "Yeah right, you HATE go." "That's Miyabi alright, funny as always." "Haha Miyabi what's up with your formal speech?"

I left the classroom as soon as the bell rang. I couldn't last a second longer in there with those people. "Miyabi! Wait up!" Kenta huffed as he ran to catch up. "Sorry about that, they just haven't seen you in a while, and missed you." "....Why am I here? I want to be near Hikaru. But he's not even at this school anymore. I've looked everywhere." Kenta replied, "What's up with you and that Hikaru dude? You never mentioned him before the coma." "He's someone I used to play go with."

"Pffff GO? You? Stop joking already. Miyabi, you were never very good at strategy or even _thinking_, at all, really."

"But I'm NOT MIYABI!!! I'm just stuck in this body! Why can't anyone understand that??" Kenta looked worried. "Miyabi, are you sure you should be back at school so soon? You're probably suffering the side affects of the coma still. Want me to take you to the nurse's office?" Sigh. No one will believe me, will they. "Oh, never mind. Anyways, I'm going to the go club. Maybe they can help me out."

I burst into the room. "Hikaruuuuu!!! Are you there?" Two pairs of unfamiliar eyes stared at me. "....Who are you? Wait, are you here to join the club?" The boy who spoke wore glasses, through which his eyes shone with hope. "Great! This way we can finally participate in competitions!" Hesitating, I replied, "No, sorry, I'm just looking for someone named Hikaru. Do you people know him?" The two boys (they seemed to be a year younger than me) looked at eachother. "Nope. Sorry. Does that mean you're not joining?" "Look! You've got to know him! He's a new go pro! He used to belong to this club!" The short one said, "Oh! You mean Shindo Hikaru-san? He graduated last year. We heard he beat all of the rest of the go team single-handedly at the same time!"

So he graduated. There was no way I could see him again and tell him I was back. Noticing my distress, The midget continued, "Look, Shindo-san played go right? If you join the club, we can go to competitions, and then you might see him there. You know go pros often go to school go competitions. If you are good enough, you might be able to try out to become an insei, and seem him at the go institute."

That's right! I could always follow Hikaru's path. But I could easily overtake him. I'm not Fujiwara-no-sai for nothing, after all. My go was unparalleled. "Humph. Becoming an insei will be easy. I bet I can easily beat the both of you at the same time!" The two boys laughed. "But you're, um, a girl! And no offense, but you don't look like the smart type either. Have you even played go before?" "Hmm, who knows?" I smiled back, hiding my annoyance.

Just five minutes later, I walked out of the go club, the go club members were still frozen in their seats with shock. Too easy.

After doing all of Miyabi-I mean my, homework, I went to bed. It was hard trying to live someone else's life. _Well you're the one who decided to not die, you old man_! Hm. Funny. The mirror talked. And called me an old man. Strange dream I'm having. _This isn't a dream! Well, I guess it is, but I'm real! That's not the point. Anyways, you took my body! I guess I have to thank you anyways, I was supposed to kick the bucket, and mommy and daddy would have been sad_. Miyabi prattled on, without letting me get a word in. _So, since I gave you my body, heavenly law says I get to take something from you. So I'll be taking your ability to play go._ Wait! No! That's my only key to Hikaru! _Geez-louise! Relax, grandpa. You can relearn. But I've always been dumb. With your abilities, people will see me as integillent for once! So, I'll be taking that now._ The real Miyabi reached into my brain (wait, that's not possible!) and pulled out something and stuck it in a bag._ See you later, New Miyabi! Don't do anything weird with my body, kay? _

I woke up in a cold sweat. It was morning.


	4. BAWWWWWWWWW

Author's Notes:

Yo-yo-yo! :D Bet you guys didn't see that coming, huh?

Anyways, the go club's names basically mean Son 1 and Son 2. Haha. Imaginative, aren't they?

In addition, from now on (unless I forget) the game _go_ (or _i-go_) will now be italicized to prevent confusion. Read and Review, please. (Or I'll lock you in my closet and force you to do my homework. D:) Enjoy!

"Miyabi, you alright? You look like crap. Did you stay up too late doing homework or something?" Kenta peered into my face inquisitively. I didn't blame him for asking. My eyes were red and baggy, and my hair unkempt. That stupid nightmare I had robbed me of all my sleep. Stupid Miyabi. Stupid dream. Stupid world that I have to live in now.

"....Miyabi?"

I didn't have the patience to deal with Kenta now. Some go would take my mind off of everything. Maybe I'll just head on to the _go_ club. I mean, my _go_ powers couldn't really be gone. That wasn't humanly possible. It was just a nightmare, right?

"....Earth to Miyabi! Are you too busy having a daydream about me, perhaps?"

"Yeah right. I'm going to go to the _go_ club now, Kenta. Don't wait for me."

I left despite the boy's protests and professions of eternal love, and once again opened the door to the dingy science classroom. Shorty and Glasses were already there.

Hey! Sorry we didn't introduce ourselves last time. I'm Tarou, and this little dude here's Jiro. " Glasses dude eagerly shook my hand. Jiro didn't look too happy being called "little dude," and glared at Tarou. Hm. Better remember not to call him Midget again. Tarou continued, "Nice to meet you, Akiyama Miyabi, 3rd year student!"

"Bu-What? How do you know my name? And even my grade too?!" The powers of a stalker was mighty indeed.

"Oh, piece of cake. We just asked who the chick with the Edo-styled hairdo was. You were in a coma? That's uber awesome!"

"Actually, it's a very fashionable hairstyle from the HEIAN era. Not Edo. Heian."

"Whatever. They're both old anyhow." Tarou shrugged.

Jiro spoke for the first time, bringing out a _go_ board. "Hey, since you destroyed us yesterday, do you mind playing a teaching game against me? I want to learn how to play as well as you do."

I smiled. Finally someone who recognized my intelligence. "I don't mind at all! Let's get started. Since this is a teaching game, you can go first"

We set up the board and the stones, and Jiro made his first move on 16-16, one of the _Hoshi_ points.

I confidently picked up a stone, ready to make my move, but the stone suddenly slipped out of my hand and flew into the air, only to hit Tarou in the face.

"I'm so sorry! That wasn't on purpose! I don't know what happened to me!"

Tarou mumbled something incoherent. I think the _go_ stone gave him a nosebleed. Anyways, I turned my attention back to the board.

You know when everything makes sense to you, and you could see all the pieces fall into place?

Well, this was the exact opposite kind of feeling. The _go_ board used to be my battleground, on which I sent my soldiers out to war. But now it was just a meaningless grid It was impossible! How could I forget about my passion, my reason to live? I tried remembering the rules, basic strategies, illegal moves, anything. And I remembered- a great fat NOTHING. It was as if my mind was wiped clean of all things _go_.

Jiro stared. "I know you're the expert and all, but does it take that long to make a starting move?"

I couldn't help it. Tears started streaming down my face. Hikaru would be ashamed. Crying was seen as intelligent in my era, but apparently now, it was shameful.

"I-I-don't re-re-me-mber how to *sniff* play _go_!"

"What? But you were so good yesterday! How can you just forget?"

"I don't kn-know! I just *hic* woke up and it was g-gone!" I started crying even harder.

"Well, I don't know what happened, but it's okay, we'll reteach you! I'm sure you'll remember in no time," Tarou and Jiro smiled, trying to comfort me.

But the thougth of having these two novices having to teach me, Fujiwara no Sai, go was too much.

"BAAAAWWWWWWW!!!!"

I'm sure if I cried harder, I would have flooded the whole school.


	5. So much for that idea

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to the Hikaru no Go franchise. The excerpt at the beginning on how to play go was found on ..

Yes, the thing that Miyabi says at the end is a pizza. But they don't have that in Heian Japan, so she/he can't say it right. :D

Enjoy this totally off topic chapter!

_... stones that are threatened with capture can try to save themselves by extending out and increasing their liberties. However, as the game goes on and more and more spaces get filled, groups start to surround each other. But not all groups that are surrounded can be captured. A group that surrounds at least two separate eyes can never be captured, because both eyes cannot be filled at the same time..._

"I've had enough! I'll never learn through a book!" Frustrated with the words, I threw "Playing_ Go_ for Dummies" that Tarou lent me on the floor. I'll never be able to catch up to Hikaru now.

"Hey, it's okay. Why don't we play a practice game instead?" Jiro actually seemed to be happy that I forgot how to play. Well, I guess it'll be okay. I mean, I just read that stupid book. How hard could it be?

Ten minutes later, I was completely, utterly, defeated. If Hikaru was here, he would have laughed so hard he cried, calling me "stuuuuupid!" the whole time. Jiro seemed pleased. I guess he was happy he had someone to win against, as Tarou always beat him. "It's okay, we have a couple weeks before the first competition. Worst case is we put you as captain and throw the first match." _Thanks. Way to make me feel better._ He continued, "And it's okay, because you're a girl anyways."

"And WHAT exactly is that supposed to mean?" Goodness. Modern boys have no respect for the other gender. It's really quite insulting.

"Nothing! Just... Girl's usually aren't as smart as guys. Especially girls like you. I don't even know why you're playing _go_ in the first place."

"What! You take that back!" I yelled, pelting _go_ stones at him all the while.

"Hey, Miyabiii~~~ You done ye-" Kenta opened the door, and got hit with a barrage of stray stones that missed Jiro.

"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry, Kenta." I rushed over to see if he- and the poor _go_ stones I threw- were all right.

Kenta raised his head. "Man, that hurt like hell, Miyabi."

"Would you like some ice-phhhhahahaha!" I never finished my sentence.

"What? What's wrong?" Kenta panicked.

Some of the _go_ stones had stuck on him somehow, and the ones that fell off left bright red polka dots, making it look like he had some sort of strange disease.

"Wah! That's mean! Miyabi's making fun of me!" Kenta pouted, looking even more ridiculous.

"Just wait until you see your face! You look like one of those pit-sza thingies with the cheese and sausage on top!"


	6. Improvement?

A/N:

I don't own anything from Hikaru no Go. Everything else is my random ideas and thoughts.

Sorry for updating so late! I was in Japan on an exchange trip, which, btw, was AWESOME. I got pretty fluent in Japanese too. Hah. I'm no longer a weaboo. :3

Plot somewhat develops. Wait for it! :D

Thank you for the reviews! They make me a happy person. And a happy Megumi= more chapters faster. :P (COUGH HINT HINT IS IT OBVIOUS ENOUGH YET) lol.

In other words, please read and review. Minna daisuki! :)

"You gotta warn me next time you start hurling things around, Miyabi. Geez. You always were violent," Kenta said ruefully, rubbing his still red cheek.

"Well, I apologized, didn't I? Now if you'll excuse me I must go home. So would you please stop following me?"

"...We live in the same direction, dummy."

Oops. I'm always forgetting that, aren't I?

The sun beat down on us as we walked along the road home. It felt so good to be able to, well, _feel_. As a ghost, I was unable to touch objects in the living world, and my senses were gone as well. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine myself back in the Emperor's court, taking walks in the garden accompanied by the palace ladies, eating in the magnificent hall, playing go with esteemed officials, and-

"Miyabi! You're spacing again! Jesus."

Go. I would give anything to be able to play again. Of course my price for life would have to be my reason to want life. Oh, the irony.

"Miya-channnnnnn..."

And Hikaru! How long would it be before I could see him again? Apparently it's been about a year since I disappeared as Sai. Hikaru would be in college, or playing _go_ full time now.

"Miyabi! If you've been paying attention, there's this amateur _go_ tournament soon. That geeky Jiro kid told me to tell you. I heard there would be famous professionals coming as guests. So starting tomorrow, you'll have practice everyday."

Maybe I could hire a private investigator and hunt him dow-

"That's it! Kenta, thank you so much! I can't believe I forgot about the _go_ club!"

"Uh... okay. Anything for my love!" Kenta said, winking.

"...Don't push it."

"...I'm telling you! Kasumi-chan is such a better go player than Noriko-san! Plus, she's hot!" Tarou said as he opened the classroom door.

"Psshh. Ogawa Kasumi is all looks. I bet people only lose to her because they get distracted by her looks. Noriko's _go_ style is devastating! She would crush Kasu- Whoa, Miyabi-senpai*, you're early!"

"Hey guys, ready for the _go_ competition? We've got to practice! I've been studying up strategies. Here. Have some old _go_ records!" I handed each of them a foot-tall stack of papers, which recorded the games of famous go professionals.

"That's nice, senpai, but you don't even remember the basic rules yet!" Jiro said hesitatingly.

"Nonsense! I stayed up all night relearning them! I've even solved _go _problems up to 28-kyu!"**

The two second years exchanged dubious glances, and Tarou said, "Well, all right, but we've only got two weeks until the competition. Are you sure you'll be ready?"

"Hmph! The question is, are you ready? Because once I relearn this I'll kick all of your butts! This is in my nature, I'm sure I'll be great in no time! In fact, let's play a game now!"

Tarou sighed, and set out the _go_ board. "Well, let's make this quick then."

I went first, and placed my stone on 18-16 in the top right corner. A typical starting move.

_Clack. Ker-thunk. Clack. Ker-thunk._ Hmm. I forgot to relearn how to properly hold the stones too. My _go_ stones dropped clumsily on the board while Tarou's placed with precision and neatness, with the proper clacking sound. Well, even if he couldn't play as well as I can (well, could), he placed his stones well, and without hesitation. His face was difficult to read, but seemed confident. Maybe if he manages to intimidate the opponent enough, he'd win his match.

I got so distracted, I didn't even notice my blob of stones (territory-whatsit) being eaten by Tarou's stones. Oh dear. I even thought I had made two eyes in the shape.*** Oh well, I'm dead.

"I have nothing," I said, embarrassed.

Jiro smirked. "Looks like we still have lots of work to do, senpai."

*Senpai means upperclassman in Japanese. Sounds kind of funny in English to call someone that, but it's totally normal in Japan.

**go puzzles have levels ranging from 30 to 1 kyu, and 1-(6, I believe) dan. 30-kyu is easiest, while 6-dan is the most challenging. Obviously, Miyabi still has a long way to go. (Pun unintentional)

***Basically, if you have two "eyes", the opponent can't capture your stones. If you're interested in the details, you should look up the go rules online.


	7. Showdown

"White to kill in this problem. Come on, you're getting the hang of it. Sort of."  
"…A5. No, wait, B3!" I said distractedly, knee deep in piles of go problems and old records.

"…you were right the first time, you know. Not bad, not bad. Just 132 more problems to go." Tarou said cheerfully.

Jiro cut in. "seeing as our match is in less than five hours wouldn't it make more sense to at least attempt to get some rest so we don't fall asleep over the boards? Anyways, I doubt that any more of this mindless drilling will help at this point."

"Nonsense! Perseverance is the key. If I don't have strength, I at least have willpower! On with the questions! I'm at least on the 20-kyu problems now, right?"

We continued studying, reading up on strategies, solving problems, playing practice matches with each other. Eventually Jiro and Tarou collapsed and started snoring away, drool pooling onto the papers scattered all over the room. I continued studying until it was time to wake them up and go to the competition.

The time had come at last. The sun was shining, I was going to play go, I could meet Hikaru, and nothing could ruin this moment for me. "Wait up, senpai! You're running way too fast for us." "Yeah, I'm surprised you have this much energy after pulling an all-nighter!" Taro came panting in after us.

"Now, let's review our strategy, if you please. Senpai will be captain, Taro will be the second, and I will be third." I was surprised at this development. "Aww guys, thanks for having so much faith in me! I'll be sure to lead us to victory!"

Jiro adjusted his glasses matter-of-factly. "You've got it wrong, senpai. We're throwing the captain's match, so we have more of a chance of not losi-""Nonsense! We've got absolute faith in you. You're the oldest and most skilled member, after all!" Tarou interrupted.

Of course. After losing my powers as Fujiwara-no-Sai, even a five year old babe could crush me at go. I hung my shoulders and led the way to our chairs, the other two trailing guiltily behind.

"we really are sorry, senpai. But on the bright side, you've gotten a lot better since then. You can at least hold the stones properly now." Tarou said sheepishly. "No matter, I've decided. Even if I do badly, I won't go down without a fight! I'm intent on winning today!" I flashed a bright smile at them. Now if I could only stop yawning enough to think properly.

"We're up against Yamanoka High for the first match. Humph. Small fry." Jiro looked at the match ups, pushing his glasses up contemptuously. I looked at our opponents. Their team consisted of a rather large looking boy, a Yankee with dyed orange hair, and a girl that looked like she did nothing but study.

"Captain is the yankee, the second is lardball, and third is that bookworm. Hah. They're probably thinking of throwing their first match too. Even you can win against a stupid looking ginger like that."

"Real thoughtful of other people's feelings, aren't ya, Jiro." Tarou said, fighting back a smile.

I was feeling really dizzy. My eyelids felt as though weights were attached to them, and every time I blinked I had to struggle to re-open them. I sat down in our fold-up chairs, thinking to take a quick nap. It was an hour before the official start, anyways.

"Hey there babe. What's with the medieval getup? You'd look much cuter without it." The yank plunked into his chair, and started jabbering immediately.

Now there's one thing everyone must know about Fujiwara-no-Sai. He is always, always courteous and presentable. But never, ever bother him when he's sleeping. I glared at the bizarrely colored head of the youth in front of me. "Do. Not. Talk. To. Me."  
"Whoa, don't get your panties in a twist, babe. Can't a dude say hi? We're going to be facing each other anyhow. So what's your name? Do you have a boyfriend?" I sighed. Nothing would get through this little brat's head. "Look. I am a powerful courtier at least a thousand years old. You don't want to anger me."

"HAHAHAHA you're hilarious, babe. So, about that name." He rested his head upon his ring covered hand lazily, leering.

I was close to upending the table onto him when I realized that we were in a sacred go room. Stupid yankee or not, I could not defile the sanctity of competition by violence. Deep breathes, in and out. That's it. At least getting angry had somehow managed to temporarily chase away my exhaustion.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 45th annual Tsubomi Go Tournament for High Schoolers! Today we have a very exciting lineup of 12 schools from around the area. The prize for first place is this genuine kaya go board and set of new stones, and will be awarded by the young local go professional, Shindo Hikaru-san!"

Shrill screams erupted from the audience as the females caught a glimpse of Hikaru. How long has it been? Hikaru grew up. He was no longer the child I knew. Tall, with hair that half-hid his reflective eyes, he was instantly the focus of all the room.

"Shindo-san is the pride of our district, and is one of the most talented youth in the go profession. Please be sure to cheer him on as he takes the go world by storm in his upcoming games!"

"You're too kind, sir. I look forward to seeing all the talent these students have to offer. I used to play at these same competitions myself, and I see myself in each and every one of you." Clearly, some of these girls looked overjoyed at the thought of having Hikaru inside them. My goodness. It's not as if he was some kind of idol from Johnny's Entertainment or anything. It's just Hikaru. Lazy, rude, inconsiderate Hikaru. MY Hikaru. Those silly girls were not going to take him away from me.

"And without further ado, we officially begin the tournament. Match one starts now."

Timers beeped in unison, starting to count down towards the eminent end. I played my first move, and clicked the timer to stop my time. Yank leaned back in his chair leisurely, scanning the board. I was confident. There was no way I'd lose to an upstart teenager, after all. He placed his stone calmly, and waited for my next move. I knew exactly what to do.

Halfway through the game, I began to lose confidence. I thought back to the seemingly endless impromptu training session of just last night. Maybe this strategy would work. No, that would leave my other group open. Let's try going about it this way. I attacked a small group of stones he'd left defenseless. "Gotcha, babe." He winked at me, and placed his move barely after I clicked time.

I looked down, utterly dismayed. It was bait, and I'd fallen right into his trap. I played right into his amateur hands. The stones I thought I had defended so well were all effectively dead. There was no way I could win this match. "I have nothing." I said, fighting back tears of frustration.

"Hey, don't be so disappointed, babe. I am the captain of our club, despite my looks, you know." He smiled good-naturedly at me." "Enough with the 'babe' this, 'babe' that thing. I have a name, you know. Miyabi." He laughed. "Well what am I supposed to call you if you don't even tell me your name? Nice to meet ya, Miyabi-chan. I'm Ryousuke, but you can call me Ryou." So it wasn't just a ploy to lose the first match on purpose. This flaming haired boy really was captain. My opinion of him rose ever so slightly. Nevertheless, it was unforgiveable to call a stranger "babe." "I won't be calling you anything, because I refuse to talk to someone like you." Ryou laughed. "Sassy little girl, aren't you, Miyabi-chan. I'm liking you more and more, even if you do suck at go." "What are you implying?" I asked, incensed. How dare he insult me so casually? "Well, you're obviously the weakest on your team, as your teammates seem to be doing quite well against my underlings. No big surprise there, but you're clearly the sacrificial lamb, Miyabi-chan. So tell me, why is a pretty girl like you playing an old man's game like go? Wait, don't tell me you did it because you're in love with that Hikaru guy? I mean, he's good looking, but do you really think that taking a couple crash courses in go will bring your paths together? Impossible."

He was right. I didn't even have the ability to defeat a couple of high schoolers who played go as a club activity. The pathetically weak me has no right meet Hikaru. I couldn't face Hikaru now, after losing so spectacularly. I stood up, fighting back tears. I had to leave before Hikaru saw me.

"Wait babe, I was kidding! Don't tell me you took that seriously!" Ryou called after me. I shook him off and ran down the hall.


	8. A Glance

Reviews greatly increase the speed by which I carelessly churn out chapters. Just saying. 3 No seriously, I love hearing what you guys think. It helps me decide the direction my stories should take. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy lives to read my humble, badly written fanfic.

The story's taken a more serious turn since my previous chapters. Tell me if you like it, or you prefer the lighter scenes! Or if you just hate it, you could also type me up a review. But I hope I don't get too many of those. I'm on too many hate lists already. But I digress. I present to you the new chapter of Sai's Story.

The hallway seemed to be unending as I ran as fast as I could without seeming indecorous. Due to Miyabi's weak constitution, I soon lost my breath, and had to slow down.

I heard footsteps thunder up behind me, a boyish voice shout "Wait," and a hand on my shoulder. Probably Ryousuke again. I had better try and look cheerful so he doesn't think that his dumb teasing bothered me. I turned around with a fake smile, and looked up into the face of-

Shindo Hikaru had been taking a walk in the building to clear his thoughts. Seeing all those young children made him think of his time as a member of the go club, and of course, how terrible he had been at _go_. Wincing at the thought, he continued wandering. How many miles of halls were there? Of course the Go Institute's hallways were no such labyrinth, but in his pensive mood he had simply walked down the same hall several times without realizing. _If only Sai was with me. I wish he could see me speaking at the very same Go Tournament that we first entered._ Sai, who seemed like a child and yet like a wise teacher at the same time. Hikaru recalled the numerous times he refused to play go with Sai. Sai had first pouted, pleaded, and then thrown a full-on tantrum rivaling those of their neighbor's spoiled three-year-old. Sai, with his old-fashioned clothes and curious yet beautiful long hair. He looked up to see a long strand of hair tied neatly with a ribbon disappear around a corner. Clearly he spent a long time taking care of it. After all, how else could he get it to glow like that? No one, not even a girl's hair looked like his. Except for the person who just turned the corner ahead. Yeah. Exactly like that. _Wait. Impossible._ Hikaru stopped, incredulous, and then took off at breakneck speed. _Two long years. Was he here the whole time? He looks so much smaller than I remembered. There's so much I still want to tell him!_ "Wait!" Hikaru caught up to the slender figure with floor length hair, and touched its delicate shoulder tentatively. Too late, Hikaru realized it was a girl. She paused, turned around, and looked at Hikaru with bright, watery eyes, similar to his old companion's expression when he was denied their daily game of go. "…Sai?" Hikaru asked, still hopeful. The strange girl blinked her dewy, densely lashed eyes, getting more teary by the moment. "Sorry, you're mistaken. I am no one. Merely a stranger." Saying this, she turned around and started running. Hikaru was left standing in the middle of a corridor alone, confused, and suddenly left with the feeling that he had just lost something important.


End file.
